《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 12

Dried ginger is pungent in flavor and warm to very hot in nature, and is non-toxic. It is chiefly used for fullness and oppression in the chest, coughing with rebellious Qi, and Qi surging upward. It can also warm the middle burner, stop bleeding, induce sweating, and dispel wind-dampness impediment pain. It is also used for intestinal diarrhea, abdominal pain caused by cold pathogen, sudden illness caused by malign influences, cholera, abdominal distension and oppression, and conditions caused by wind and various toxic pathogens. It can disperse Qi that has gathered and congealed between the skin layers. Dried ginger can also stop spitting blood; fresh ginger is especially effective.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says that the related information can be found under “Fresh Ginger.”

After careful verification, Yuxi says: The Tang Materia Medica Commentary records that dried ginger can treat stagnant, obstructed Qi, stop bleeding, open the channels and collaterals, and induce sweating. Long-term use can dim the eyesight.

The Outer Platform Arcane Essentials records: For malaria that has resisted treatment for a long time, grind equal amounts of dried ginger and lesser galangal into powder. Take one qian at a time, decocted in one medium bowl of water until reduced to seven-tenths, and drink. Another prescription for sudden heart pain: grind dried ginger into powder and take one qian mixed with rice water.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Prescriptions records: For nasal congestion and runny nose, mix dried ginger powder with honey and insert it into the nostrils.

The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies records: For heaviness of the body, cramping in the lower abdomen, hot Qi surging upward into the chest, a head too heavy to lift, a film over the eyes, and cramping of the knees and lower legs, grind four liang of dried ginger into powder and take it mixed with warm water. Then cover yourself with a quilt to induce sweating, and the symptoms will ease. Another prescription for cold-type dysentery: cut dried ginger into pieces the size of soybeans and swallow them with rice water, six or seven dozen pieces per dose, three times during the day and once at night. Dysentery with green-colored discharge is cold-type dysentery; repeated doses are said to bring results.

The Wang Family’s Broadly Beneficial Prescriptions records: For malaria, stir-fry dried ginger until black, then crush and sift it. Before an attack, take three qian mixed with warm wine; take another dose after the attack.

The Guangli Prescriptions records: If someone is bitten by a snake and faces grave danger from the poison, or wishes to keep snakes away, grind equal amounts of dried ginger and realgar finely and place the powder in a small silk pouch tied to the arm. Men should tie it to the left arm and women to the right. The prescription says snakes will flee when they smell the medicine; if someone has already been bitten, apply the powder to the wound.

The Prescriptions of the Perfected Sun records: For persistent watery diarrhea, take one qian of dried ginger powder mixed with rice gruel, which is said to work quickly.

The Tested Prescriptions records: For bloody dysentery, burn dried ginger over a fierce flame until black, taking care not to reduce it to ash. Place it in a porcelain bowl, cover it, and let it cool before grinding it into powder. Take one qian mixed with rice water. Another prescription for coughing and distension caused by cold congealing: grind dried ginger into powder and take half a qian mixed with hot wine. It can also treat dizziness and vertigo, and is said to work quickly.

The Treatise on Categories of Cold Damage says: When treating cold damage, even if a woman has recovered from her illness, she must not have sexual relations with anyone before one hundred days have passed. Otherwise, a disorder of Yin and Yang may arise. The patient’s body will become stiff and cramped, and the hands and feet may curl up, until the person seems close to death. When a man develops this illness, it is called “Yin exchange”; when a woman develops it, it is called “Yang exchange.” The patient should be made to sweat at once, and will then recover. If treatment is delayed until the fourth day, the illness cannot be cured. One may take this prescription: four liang of dried ginger, ground into powder and mixed with hot liquid. Take it all at once, then cover the patient well with bedding. Once sweating begins, the illness will ease; the hands and feet will also straighten, and recovery will follow.

Fresh ginger is pungent and slightly warm in nature. It treats headache, nasal congestion, coughing, and rebellious Qi caused by cold damage, and can also stop vomiting. Taken over a long period, it can remove foul influences from the body and clear the spirit. Fresh ginger grows in the mountain valleys of Qianwei and around Jingzhou and Yangzhou; it is harvested in the ninth month. Sichuan pepper can be used as an adjunct. Fresh ginger counteracts the toxicity of pinellia and henbane. Scutellaria, coptis, and bat droppings are incompatible with it—that is, traditional materia medica holds that they should not be used together.

The Illustrated Classic says: Fresh ginger grows in the mountain valleys of Qianwei and in Jingzhou and Yangzhou. Today it is produced in many places, with that from Hanzhou, Wenzhou, and Chizhou considered the best. Ginger plants grow two or three chi tall. Their leaves resemble those of arrow bamboo: long, narrow, and arranged in pairs. The shoots are green, the roots yellow, and the plant has neither flowers nor fruit. The ginger roots are dug up in the eighth or ninth month, washed in a long, flowing stream, and then dried in the sun to make dried ginger.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula records that accumulated phlegm and fluid can be treated with Ginger and Aconite Decoction: take eight liang of fresh ginger and four liang of aconite (raw, cut into four pieces), add five sheng of water, and boil until two sheng remain. Divide into two doses. The formula is also used for sudden-onset wind-stroke. While taking the medicine, avoid pork and cold water.

Cui Yuanliang’s Collected Proven Formulas records a ginger tea remedy for dysentery, bestowed by imperial command: cut fresh ginger into pieces the size of sesame seeds, steep it with one liang of tea leaves, and sip as desired; recovery will follow. For heat-type dysentery, leave the ginger skin on; for cold-type dysentery, remove it. The remedy is highly effective.

When Liu Yuxi served in Huainan, he and Li Ya were in the same official household. Li Ya often gave people medicine but refused to tell them the formula, and some mocked him for being stingy. Li Ya explained privately: “Most people with coughs take cold, cooling medicines. If they see that the medicines in this formula are warm, hot, and drying, they will refuse to take them. So I give them the medicine without telling them the formula, and it often works.” When this method was tried, it proved just as he had said.

Li Qing’s formula for turning white hair back to its original color says: Scrape off one large sheng of skin from old fresh ginger and put it in a pot. Heat it by turns over a gentle fire and a fierce fire, taking care not to let it boil over. It is best to use a pot that is rather greasy; there is no need to wash or scrub it. Put the ginger skin straight into the pot, then seal the opening tightly so that no air can enter…

A person should tend the fire. Before the colors of the medicinal ingredients have separated, begin decocting them over a gentle flame; the heat must not be too strong. If the person tending the fire feels even slightly tired, replace them at once. After one fu period of decocting—a unit of time used in antiquity, whose precise length depends on the method of timekeeping—the medicine is ready. Place it in a porcelain mortar and grind it thoroughly. Li says: Although it is to be decocted for one fu period, if the heat is even, the medicine will be ready when the sun is low in the west. To use it, take a small amount of the powder, about the size of a sesame seed, and dab it beneath the white beard. After applying it, pluck out the hairs. Then rub the area carefully with a finger so the powder enters the skin. By the fourth day, black hairs will grow there; the effect is remarkable.

Tao Hongjing says: These days, dried ginger is processed in only two or three villages in Zhang’an, near Linhai. Ginger from Shu and Han was once of good quality. Jingzhou also produced good ginger, but neither could be made into dried ginger. He also says: Fresh ginger acts on the Five Zang organs, transforms phlegm, directs Qi downward, stops vomiting, and dispels wind, cold, and heat. Taken for a long time, it weakens a person’s resolve and intelligence and damages the heart Qi, so it should not be eaten in excess.

The Tang Materia Medica Commentary says: Taking fresh or dried ginger for a long time can bring clarity to the spirit and treat wind and phlegm Qi; fresh ginger is especially good. The classic says that long-term use can bring clarity to the spirit, so it may be eaten regularly.

Chen Cangqi says: In addition to its usual effects, fresh ginger juice can counteract medicinal toxins. It can also invigorate the blood, regulate the Qi in the middle, dispel cold, transform phlegm, and stimulate the appetite. When the medicinal nature is warm, remove the peel; when it is cold, leave the peel on.

The Rihuazi Materia Medica says: Dried ginger transforms phlegm, directs Qi downward, and treats spasms of the sinews and vessels, vomiting and diarrhea, cold in the abdomen, reflux, dry retching, blood stasis, and injuries from falls or blows. It can also stop nosebleeds, counteract toxins from cold and heat, stimulate the appetite, and aid digestion when food has accumulated.

Yuxi, citing the Treatise on Medicinal Properties, says: As a minister ingredient, dried ginger is bitter and pungent. It treats pain and cold in the lower back and kidneys, cold Qi, blood stasis, wind, and impaired movement in the joints of the limbs. It also warms and frees the Five Zang organs and six Fu organs, dispels wind toxins, treats cold impediment, and is used for frequent urination at night, cough, persistent cholera, abdominal pain and distention, and cold dysentery. Dried ginger is suitable for people whose blood vessels are obstructed and who are weak and cold.

The text also says: As an envoy ingredient, fresh ginger transforms phlegm and fluid, relieves distention and fullness, and directs Qi downward. Both fresh and dried ginger may be used for cough, epidemic illness, and persistent vomiting that prevents eating. Fresh ginger used with pinellia treats acute pain below the heart. If internal heat prevents eating, pound fresh ginger, extract its juice, and take it with honey. A decoction made with ginger juice and apricot kernels may be used for Qi bound in the chest, obstruction in the chest and diaphragm, and cold or heat Qi.

The Food Therapy records: Ginger is warm in nature. It can transform phlegm and direct Qi downward, relieve intense fever, and treat tendon cramps. When the chest feels distended and full or there is an unpleasant taste, taking ginger can clear and restore the mind. For people with weak Stomach Qi and wind-heat who cannot eat, mix a little juice from fresh Rehmannia root and one spoonful of honey with chicken eggshell and ginger juice, then add three he of water and take it all at once. Recovery will soon follow.

The Wai Tai Mi Yao records: To treat cholera with persistent diarrhea, or tendon cramps that pull into the abdomen and threaten life, pound three liang of ginger, boil it in one sheng of wine three or four times, and take it all at once. Another prescription is for a long-lasting cough with continuous coughing: take half a he of ginger juice and one spoonful of honey, heat them together, and drink while warm. Take this three times in succession for results.

The Qian Jin Fang records: Ginger treats dry retching and cough; it is suitable when the hands and feet are cold. Ginger is also a commonly used remedy for vomiting. It can also be used for a firm, distended fullness below the heart that prevents eating, and for retching in the chest: finely slice eight liang of ginger, add three sheng of water, and boil down to one sheng. Rinse five he of pinellia to remove its slippery coating, add five sheng of water, and boil down to one sheng. Combine the two decoctions and boil down to one and a half sheng. Take in small portions over time. Another prescription is for postpartum abdominal distension when the lochia has not fully discharged: boil two jin of ginger in water and drink the resulting liquid; the lochia will then be expelled.

The Experiential Prescriptions says ginger is effective for treating body odor. It can be applied to the armpits and is said to cure the condition completely.

The Yang Family’s Postpartum Formulary records: When postpartum Blood and Qi surge up into the heart and chest, slice five liang of ginger, add eight sheng of water, and boil down to three sheng. Divide into three doses.

During the Tang dynasty, Cui Xuan, Duke of Wei, suddenly collapsed one night. Liang Xin heard of it and examined him, saying that he had mistakenly eaten something poisonous. Cui Xuan said he had a fondness for bamboo partridges, which often ate young pinellia shoots, and that he might therefore have been poisoned by pinellia. Liang Xin had someone obtain ginger juice, pry open Cui Xuan’s teeth, and pour it into his mouth. He immediately regained consciousness.

The Yanyi says: Ginger can treat sudden episodes of rebellious Qi. Chew three pieces of ginger about the size of soap nuts and swallow them; this will bring relief. If the episodes recur, taking it repeatedly is also effective. At the onset of wind-cold with much phlegm and coughing, heat a piece of ginger and hold it between the teeth; the cough will ease on its own within a day. If the eyes suddenly become red and swollen without sores, scrape ginger juice with a clean old copper coin and place drops at the corners of the eyes. After hot tears flow, the condition is said to be cured by the next day. This method was tried and considered effective, though children may be very frightened by it.

Next is the section on “Xier.” The fruit of Xier, pronounced like “Xi’er,” tastes bitter and sweet and is warm in nature; its leaves taste bitter and pungent and are slightly cold.

Cocklebur (also known as Xier, Huxi, Dikui, Shi, Changsi, and Yangfulai) is used to treat headaches and cold-related pain caused by wind pathogens, as well as obstruction by wind-dampness, stiffness and pain with spasms in the limbs, abnormal fleshy growths, dead tissue, knee pain, and toxicity from streams. It is said that long-term use can replenish Qi, sharpen hearing and eyesight, strengthen memory, and make the body feel light and agile. Cocklebur grows in the mountain valleys and fields around Anlu and Lu’an. Its fruit is gathered when ripe.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Cocklebur grows in the valleys of Anlu and the fields of Lu’an, and is now found everywhere. Textual research shows that the Classic of Poetry calls it “Juan’er,” the Erya calls it “Ling’er,” and the Guangya calls it “Xier”; each name is connected with its fruit. Lu Ji says its leaves are bluish white, like coriander; it bears small white flowers, and its slender stems spread along the ground. It can be boiled and eaten. It has a slippery texture but little flavor. Some also say the plant originally grew in Shu. Its fruit is covered with prickles and sticks to the wool of passing sheep, which carried it into the Central Plains; hence the name “Yangfulai,” meaning “brought by sheep.”

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: Cocklebur can also be used on its own. It is sweet in flavor and non-toxic, and can clear heat in the liver and brighten the eyes.

Tao Hongjing says: This is the “Changsi vegetable,” which country people all eat. Some use its leaves to cover wheat, turning the wheat yellow. It is also called “Yangfulai.” Tradition has it that the plant was not originally found in China, but came from abroad on sheep’s wool. It is occasionally used in formula books.

The Tang Materia Medica says: Harvest cocklebur from after the third month until before the seventh month. Dry it in the sun and prepare it as a powder. In summer, take it with water; in winter, take it with wine. It can be used for severe wind disorders, epilepsy, wind-related headaches, damp impediment, and conditions in which pathogenic toxins have penetrated deep into the marrow. Take it twice a day. When prepared as pills, take twenty to thirty pills each time.

Chen Cangqi says: Crush cocklebur leaves and place them under the tongue to stimulate saliva. For yellowing of the eyes and drowsiness, roast the cocklebur seeds until fragrant, pound off their prickles, then soak them in wine and drink the wine; this is said to dispel wind and replenish the body. Cocklebur ash mixed with cured pork fat can be applied to furuncles.

Lei Gong says: After harvesting, remove the central portion and take the rhizome of Solomon’s seal. Slice it finely with a bamboo knife, mix it with cocklebur, and steam it from the hour of the Snake until the hour of the Boar. Remove the Solomon’s seal, then dry the cocklebur in the shade for later use.

Yuxi quotes the Erya: “Juan’er” is the same as “Ling’er.” The Guangya’s commentary says it is also called “Xier” and “Huxi,” while in Jiangdong it is called “Changxi.” Another explanation holds that “Ling’er” refers to its mouse-ear shape and its clustered growth, which resembles a dish. The Classic of Poetry, “Airs of Zhou: South,” contains the line “Gather and gather the Juan’er.”

Meng Shen says: Cocklebur is warm in nature. It can be used for windstroke, cold damage, headaches, and furuncles.

When the illness is severe and the body feels heavy and weighed down, pound cocklebur roots and leaves, mix them with a child’s urine, and squeeze out the juice. Drink one sheng cold, three times a day. This works very well.

The Shenghui Fang says: To treat itching and wind rashes caused by pathogenic wind in women, when itching all over the body will not stop, pound equal amounts of cocklebur flowers, leaves, and seeds into a fine powder. Mix two qian with wine in which beans have been boiled and drink it.

Another recipe works very well for various kinds of dysentery after childbirth: pound cocklebur leaves, squeeze out the juice, and drink half a zhong cup while warm, three or four times a day.

The Waitai Miyao records: To treat an outbreak of toxic heat that causes the hands and feet to swell and hurt, with pain so severe they seem about to fall off, soak and wash the affected areas in cocklebur juice.

The Qianjin Fang says: At noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, cut the leaves of xie’er (cocklebur) in a dry place. Wash them, sun-dry them, then pound and sift them. Take one fangcun bi (an ancient measure for powdered medicine, roughly the amount held by a small square spoon) with wine or rice-washing water, three times during the day and three times at night. If this causes vomiting, make the powder into pills with honey and still take one fangcun bi at a time. For pathogenic wind that is mild and easy to treat, take it twice a day. If millet-sized or sesame-sized spots appear on the parts of the body affected by wind, this shows that wind toxin is coming out.

The Qianjin Yifang records: To treat toothache, add five sheng of cocklebur seeds to one dou of water and boil until five sheng remain. Hold the liquid in the mouth while hot, then spit it out when the pain eases. Repeat; no more than three doses are needed for a cure. Cocklebur stems and leaves may also be used.

Another recipe treats the five types of hemorrhoids: On the fifth day of the fifth month, gather cocklebur stems and leaves, dry them in the sun, and grind them into powder. Take one fangcun bi with water; it takes effect immediately.

The Shiyi Xinjing says: Cocklebur seeds can dispel various kinds of wind-damp impediment pain and ease cramping of the limbs. Pound three liang of seeds into powder, add one and a half sheng of water, and boil until seven ge remain. Strain out the dregs and drink the liquid slowly.

The Doumen Fang records: To treat women whose blood wind rises to the head, causing dizziness and confusion or sudden collapse and unconsciousness, take any amount of the tender shoots of heqicao (that is, cocklebur), dry them in the shade, and grind them into powder. Take a large cupful with ordinary wine at any time. The text calls this method highly effective: after taking it, the medicine’s force rises to the crown of the head and reaches the crown gate.

The Shengjin Fang records: For injuries caused by venomous snakes, shegong, or sand fleas, when the vision darkens, the mouth cannot open, the hands and feet become rigid, and the poison forms lumps in the abdomen, leaving the condition critical, use this remedy: Take a handful of tender cocklebur leaves, crush them and squeeze out the juice, mix it with warm wine, and pour it down the throat. Then apply the crushed leaves thickly over the injury.

The Yangshi Fang Chanru says: If coins are swallowed by mistake, take a handful of xie’er…

Soak one sheng (an ancient unit of capacity) in water more than ten times, then drink the infused water; this can bring about a cure.

Kudzu Root

Kudzu root is sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats wasting-thirst, high fever, vomiting, and various kinds of itching. It can raise and spread Yin Qi, resolve many kinds of poison, and treat cold damage, windstroke, and headache. It also releases the flesh and brings out the exterior, induces sweating, and opens the interstices between the skin and muscles. It treats wounds caused by swords and other weapons, relieves pain, and can also treat wind-related pain in the flanks.

The fresh juice of kudzu root is very cold in nature. It treats wasting-thirst, cold damage, and high fever. Kudzu root peel treats diarrhea. Kudzu roots that are more than ten years old… These are the records given above. Kudzu leaves treat wounds and stop bleeding; kudzu flowers sober the drinker. Kudzu root is also called Chicken-Crest Root, Deer Vine, and Yellow Jin. It grows in the valleys of Wenshan. The roots are gathered in the fifth month and dried in the sun. It can counteract the poisons of wild kudzu, croton, and various other medicines.

The Illustrated Classic says: Kudzu root grows in the valleys of Wenshan and is now found everywhere, especially in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. Its shoots emerge in spring, and its vines can grow one or two zhang long and are purple. Its leaves resemble those of the Chinese catalpa, but are blue-green. It flowers in the seventh month; the flowers resemble pea flowers, and it bears no fruit. The root is shaped like an arm. Zhang Zhongjing’s prescriptions for cold damage include Kudzu Decoction, Kudzu Decoction with Added Pinellia, and Kudzu, Scutellaria, and Coptis Decoction, because kudzu root can treat high fever, release the flesh, and open the interstices.

Tao Hongjing says: This is the kudzu root known today, which people commonly steam and eat. Choose roots that grow deep and are thick, break them open, and dry them in the sun. Juice made by pounding fresh kudzu root can be drunk to counteract poison and treat febrile illness. Dry kudzu flowers and small red bean flowers together, then grind them into powder. Take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient measure for medicine, about one small spoon) while drinking wine; this lets a person know when they have become drunk. Kudzu root from the Nan Kang and Lu Ling regions is the best: it has abundant flesh, few fibers, and a sweet taste.

Chen Cangqi says: Fresh kudzu root can break up blood stasis, close wounds, induce abortion, and counteract alcohol poisoning. It treats fever, a flushed complexion, yellowing after drinking wine, and painful, reddish-yellow, scanty urination. Taking it can enable a person to abstain from grains without feeling hungry. Kudzu root can also be made into starch.

Rihua Zi says: Kudzu root is cold in nature. It treats heat in the chest and diaphragm, vexation in the heart, and heat binding. It stops bloody diarrhea, promotes the flow of the small intestine, expels pus, and breaks up blood stasis. It can also be applied externally to snake and insect bites and counteract the poison of poisoned arrows. Dried kudzu root has the same medicinal effects.

The Dietary Therapy says: Eating steamed kudzu root can counteract alcohol poisoning, and kudzu starch is also very good.

The Sagely Beneficence Formula says, for headache and high fever caused by an epidemic illness: Wash fresh kudzu root, pound it, and take one large cup of its juice. Separately, take one he (an ancient unit of volume) of fermented soybeans and boil them down to three-fifths of their original volume. Strain out the soybeans and drink the liquid at any time, divided into two doses. The illness will resolve after sweating; if sweating has not yet occurred, take another dose. If there is heat in the heart, add ten gardenia seeds and boil them together; strain out the dregs and drink. ○ Another prescription…

For childhood fever and thirst that persist for a long time, take half a liang of kudzu root, cut it into small pieces, and boil it in one medium cup of water until the liquid is reduced to three fifths. Strain out the plant matter and give it warm, a little at a time.

The Waitai Miyao (a collection of ancient medical prescriptions) records that when the sinews and vessels are torn or injured, one should pound kudzu root and drink the juice. Roast the white powder of kudzu root until it turns yellow, then apply it to the wound to stop bleeding.

The Qianjin Fang (an ancient medical text) records that someone who has passed out drunk and cannot be roused can be given one to two sheng of juice made by pounding kudzu root, after which they will wake.

The Zhouhou Fang (an ancient medical text) records that for sudden, persistent dry retching, pound kudzu root, squeeze out the juice, and take one sheng to ease the symptoms. Another prescription says that if someone becomes delirious and distressed after eating poisonous vegetables, with vomiting and diarrhea and their life in danger, they can drink juice made by boiling kudzu root.

The Meishi Fang records that when a febrile illness is just beginning, on the second or third day, with headache and high fever, take five liang of kudzu root and one sheng of fragrant fermented beans (fragrant douchi), cut them into small pieces, and boil them in six sheng of a young boy’s urine until reduced to two sheng. Divide this into three doses to induce sweating. After sweating, avoid exposure to wind and eat porridge with scallions and douchi.

The Guangli Fang records that for internal heat in the heart and persistent vomiting of blood, one can take half a large sheng of fresh kudzu root juice all at once; it is said to bring quick relief.

The Shanghan Leiyao records that a pregnant woman suffering from a febrile illness and distress in the heart can take two sheng of kudzu root juice, divided into three doses with water.

The Yanyi says that in the areas around Lizhou and Dingzhou, people dig up fresh kudzu roots in winter, work them in water to extract the starch, then let it settle into blocks. First bring water to a boil, break the kudzu starch into pieces and add them, then cook for a while until the mixture looks like glue and becomes very elastic. Stir in honey syrup before eating; adding a little fresh ginger is even better. This food is well suited to heatstroke and thirst after drinking alcohol. Eating a large amount promotes urination and is very helpful for hangover discomfort and thirst. Local people also slice kudzu starch into tea when serving guests, but this is simply sweet in flavor and offers no particular benefit. Some people also eat boiled fresh kudzu root as fruit. It is also sold around Nanan in Jizhou.

Kudzu starch is sweet in flavor, extremely cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats dryness and heat caused by mineral medicines, clears vexing heat, promotes urination and bowel movements, and relieves thirst. For children with fever and abdominal distention, soak kudzu root, pound it, and drink the juice.

The Tujing says: For details, see the entry on “Kudzu Root.”

Chen Cangqi says that the Shiyi records that applying kudzu starch to hot sores on children is very effective.

Yuxi says: Refer to the entry on “Kudzu Root” in the upper volume of the middle-grade section; the effects of kudzu root described there are the same as those given here.

The Shenghui Fang records that when someone has been poisoned by zhen poison and is close to losing their breath, take three he of kudzu starch, mix it evenly with three medium cups of water, and have them drink it. If the patient’s jaws are clenched shut, pry open the mouth with an instrument and pour it in.

Another prescription: For heat and agitation in the chest, thirst, and restlessness of the heart, take four liang of kudzu starch. First soak half a sheng of millet in water and leave it overnight. Strain out the millet and mix it with the kudzu starch. Cook until done and eat.

The Food Medicine Mirror records a treatment for high fever and persistent vomiting in children, as well as convulsions brought on by fright. Take two large qian of kudzu starch and mix it with two he of water. Pour it into a pot, rotating the pot so the starch mixture coats the bottom. Steam it over water until cooked, then stir it into thin porridge and eat.

Trichosanthes root (also called melon vine)

Trichosanthes root tastes bitter, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats wasting thirst, fever, oppressive discomfort in the chest and abdomen, and intense heat. It can tonify deficiency, settle the middle burner, and repair severed injuries. It also clears lingering pathogenic heat from the stomach and intestines, treats “eight carbuncles” (the original text uses this term; it may refer to a class of carbuncle disorders), and addresses yellowing of the body and face. It relieves dry lips, dry mouth, and shortness of breath; regulates menstruation and stops excessive urination. Trichosanthes root is also known as dilou, guoluo, tiangua, and zegu. The fruit of the trichosanthes is called yellow melon. It can be used to treat chest impediment—a condition involving oppression or pain in the chest—and is said to give the complexion a healthy glow.

The stems and leaves of trichosanthes can treat fever caused by summer heat. The plant grows in valleys and on shaded slopes in the Hongnong region. Those with deeply rooted tubers are best; plants growing in saline or alkaline soil are poisonous. Harvest the roots in the second or eighth month and dry them; they are ready after about thirty days. They may be used in combination with goji berries. Avoid using them with dried ginger; they are incompatible with achyranthes and dry lacquer, and must not be used with aconite.

The Illustrated Classic says: Trichosanthes grows in valleys and on shaded slopes in the Hongnong region, though it is now found in many places. Its fruit is called yellow melon. It is the “fruit of the guoluo” mentioned in the Classic of Poetry. The root is also called white medicine. The outside of the trichosanthes is yellow, while its flesh is white. In the third or fourth month, shoots emerge and the vines climb as they grow. The leaves resemble melon leaves, are lobed, and have fine hairs. It flowers in the seventh month; the flowers are pale yellow and resemble those of the bottle gourd. The fruit grows beneath the flower and is about the size of a fist. It is green when first formed and ripens in the ninth month.

Sun Simiao records a method for making trichosanthes root powder: Dig up a large root, scrape away the outer skin until the white part is exposed, then cut it into pieces one inch long. Soak them in water, changing the water once a day. Before five days have passed, take them out, pound and grind them, then place them in a silk bag. Let the mixture settle and strain away impurities to make an extremely fine powder.

Cui Yuanliang of the Tang dynasty records that if an arrowhead remains lodged in a wound and cannot be removed, the root of the trichosanthes can be pounded and applied to the wound. Replace the dressing three times a day, and the arrowhead will come out on its own. He also records a treatment for epidemic jaundice accompanied by agitation of the spirit, oppressive heat, and confusion: Take one large yellow trichosanthes fruit, rinse and soak it in nine he of freshly drawn water, and extract the juice. Add half a large he of honey and eight-tenths of a he of mirabilite. Do not let the mirabilite dissolve completely. Take the mixture in two doses, and the illness will be cured.

Tao Hongjing says: Trichosanthes grows in many nearby regions. Its vines resemble those of the tuberous melon, but its leaves…

The Book of Songs says, “The fruits of guoluo spread even across the eaves.” Here, guoluo refers to the trichosanthes vine. Today, its fruits are made into a mixture for hand cream, and its roots can also be used medicinally. Larger roots are best: those that grow six or seven feet underground and are two or three armspans thick. Trichosanthes is also used as a food for nourishing the body.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: Trichosanthes roots are now often made into powder, which is suitable for people with deficiency heat. The method is the same as for kudzu-root powder. The finished powder is white, fine, and of excellent quality. The trichosanthes roots produced in Shanzhou are white and plump, and are the best.

Su Yuxi says: According to the Erya, the fruit of guoluo is called trichosanthes. Guo Pu explains that guoluo is a kind of herb whose fruit is called trichosanthes; people in the Qi region call it “heavenly melon.”

The Rihua Zi says: Trichosanthes seeds taste bitter, are cold in nature, and are nontoxic. They can replenish deficiency and fatigue, relieve dry mouth, and moisten the heart and lungs. They can also be used for cracked skin on the hands and face, coughing blood, intestinal bleeding, and red or white dysentery; they should be stir-fried before use. Trichosanthes root promotes the flow of the small intestine, drains pus, reduces toxic swellings, and encourages the growth of flesh. It can also be used for bruising and blood stasis from falls or blows, manic heat, seasonal epidemics, breast abscesses, sores on the back, hemorrhoids and fistulas, and boils.

Lei Gong says: The skin, seeds, stem, and root of trichosanthes each have different uses. Trichosanthes and lougua differ in appearance: trichosanthes fruit is round, with thick yellow skin and a small stem; lougua is long in shape, with red skin and a thicker stem. Lei Gong considers lougua suitable for women. In processing it, remove the shell, outer skin, membrane, and oily seeds.

The Shenghui Fang records: To treat headache and alternating fever and chills caused by a febrile illness, take one large trichosanthes fruit and chop the pulp. Put it in a celadon bowl, pour in one cup of hot water, cover it, and let it stand briefly. Strain out the dregs and drink the liquid at any time.

The Waitai Miyao records: To treat wasting-thirst and frequent urination, take thirty jin of fresh trichosanthes and boil it in one hu of water until only one and a half dou remain. Strain out the dregs, add five he of beef fat, and simmer until the water has evaporated. Take a portion about the size of an egg with warm wine, three times a day.

The Zhouhou Fang records: For wasting-thirst and excessive urination, slice trichosanthes thinly, roast it, and take five liang. Boil it in five sheng of water until four sheng remain, and drink as desired. Another prescription says: If the intestines protrude from the anus and, after a long time, are difficult to put back, pound fresh trichosanthes and extract the juice. Warm the juice, wash your hands with pork broth, then gently massage the affected area until it is warm; the protruding intestines will return on their own.

The Meishi Fang records: When an abscess is just beginning to form on the breast, back, or elsewhere and has become slightly red, pound trichosanthes into powder and mix it with well water to make a paste. Apply one square-inch spoonful at a time, an ancient measure for a small dose.

The Jiyan Fang records: Trichosanthes seeds can be used to promote lactation. Rinse the seeds clean, drain them, and stir-fry until fragrant before use.

Roast the Trichosanthes fruit on a baked roof tile until it turns white, then grind it into powder. Mix seven ge with wine and take it. Afterward, lie down and rest for a little while.

A formula by Du Ren: Treats pain in the chest and diaphragm that extends to the back, as well as fullness in the chest and abdomen, labored breathing, and excessive phlegm with coughing. Take a large Trichosanthes fruit, remove the pulp, and dry-fry the seeds before grinding them finely. Combine them with the rind, then use flour paste to form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take fifteen pills with rice water.

The Secret Record of Mother and Child: Treats painful swelling of the breasts. Take one large, ripe, yellow Trichosanthes fruit, crush it, and boil it in one dou of white wine until only four sheng remain. Strain out the dregs. Warm one sheng for each dose and take it three times a day. If no large Trichosanthes fruit is available, use two smaller ones that are ripe and yellow.

The Yang Family’s Formula for Pregnancy and Childbirth: Treats the red swelling of erysipelas caused by heat toxins moving through the body. Mix two large liang of Trichosanthes powder with strong vinegar and apply it to the affected area.

The Treasure of Childbirth: Treats failure of breast milk to flow after childbirth. Take Trichosanthes powder mixed with well water, in a dose measured by a square-inch spoon, twice a day. After seven days, milk will flow at night.

A formula by Yang Wenwei: Treats excessive phlegm with coughing and obstruction in the chest and diaphragm. Take a large, plump Trichosanthes fruit, cut it open, wash the seeds, and crush them. Scrape off the rind, slice it thinly, and roast it dry. Separately, take forty-nine Pinellia tubers, wash them ten times, crush and roast them dry, then grind them into powder. Boil the water used to wash the Trichosanthes together with its pulp until it forms a paste. Add the powders and make pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take twenty pills with ginger decoction.

The Extended Meaning says: Between the ninth and tenth months, take the pulp of the Trichosanthes fruit and mix it with kudzu starch. Roast it dry, then place it in a silver or stone vessel and dry-fry over a low flame. Grind it into powder. After meals or at night before bed, dissolve one to two qian in boiling water and drink it to treat dryness-heat in the lungs, thirst, and constipation. Trichosanthes root, like fritillaria, anemarrhena, gentian, and scutellaria, is also used to treat heat disorders in horses.

Sophora Root

Sophora root is bitter in flavor, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It chiefly treats Qi stagnation in the chest and abdomen, abdominal masses and accumulations, jaundice, and dribbling urination. It promotes urination and reduces abscesses and swellings; strengthens the middle Qi, brightens the eyes, and stops tearing; and regulates the Qi of the liver and gallbladder, bringing harmony to the five organs and calm to the mind. It also benefits Jing, opens the nine orifices, clears latent heat, and is used to treat intestinal disorders, relieve thirst, sober intoxication, and address dark yellow or reddish urine. It also treats malignant sores and parasites in the lower body, harmonizes the stomach Qi, stimulates the appetite, and makes the body feel light and strong.

Sophora root is also known as water locust, bitter shen (pronounced “shi”), earth locust, rabbit locust, proud locust, white stem, tiger hemp, cen stem, lu white, and Linglang. It grows in Ru…

Bitter sophora (a medicinal plant whose root tastes extremely bitter) grows in the valleys and fields of the southern mountains. Its roots are gathered in the third, eighth, and tenth lunar months, then dried in the sun. Scrophularia, another medicinal herb, may be combined with it. It is incompatible with fritillaria, rhinacanthus, and dodder, and is considered contrary to veratrum; traditional materia medica holds that these herbs should not be used together.

The Illustrated Classic says: Bitter sophora grows in the valleys and fields of Runan, and is now also found throughout nearby regions. Its roots are yellow, about five to seven inches long and roughly as thick as two fingers; three or five roots often grow together. The plant reaches two or three feet in height. Its leaves are finely divided and blue-green, resembling those of the scholar tree, which is why it is also called “water sophora.” It sprouts in spring and withers in winter. Its flowers are yellowish-white, and it bears fruit in the seventh month. The fruit resembles a small bean.

The text records a treatment for leprosy, an ancient term for certain skin diseases: take five jin of bitter sophora, chop it, and soak it in three dou of good wine for thirty days. Drink it three times a day, one ge each time, and continue taking it regularly. If the body feels numb, this is said to mean the illness is improving.

Tao Hongjing says: Bitter sophora is now found throughout nearby regions. Its leaves closely resemble those of the scholar tree, so it is also called “sophora.” Its flowers are yellow, its seeds grow in pods, and its roots taste extremely bitter. People with illnesses often improve after drinking wine infused with bitter sophora; people with scabies can be rid of them after taking it once or twice. This is probably because it kills parasites.

Yuxi says: According to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals, bitter sophora treats skin irritation, dryness, itching, sores, redness, and loss of the eyebrows caused by toxic heat and pathogenic wind. It can also clear intense heat and excessive sleepiness, treat cold pain in the abdomen and abdominal pain caused by sudden pathogenic influence, and relieve feelings of fullness and accumulations in the body, chest, and abdomen. This medicine is not used in decoctions.

The Rihuazi says: Bitter sophora kills parasites that cause childhood malnutrition. Roast it until it smokes, grind it into powder, and take it with rice water to treat intestinal bleeding and heat dysentery.

Lei Gong says: Whatever the quantity used, first soak bitter sophora overnight in thick water left from washing glutinous rice. Remove the foul material that floats to the surface, then rinse it repeatedly. Steam it from the hour of the Snake until the hour of the Monkey, take it out and dry it in the sun, then slice it thinly for use.

The Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library records: To treat an epidemic illness after four or five days, when the chest becomes distended and painful and there is a high fever with heat throughout the body, take one liang of chopped bitter sophora and boil it in two sheng of vinegar until one sheng and two ge remain. Drink it all at once. The text says vomiting should follow, after which the illness will improve. For epidemic toxin illness, it says, the condition cannot be relieved without bitter sophora boiled in vinegar; the patient must also cover themselves with bedding and sweat before recovering. Another prescription says that when a child has a fever, bathing the child in a bitter sophora decoction is effective.

The Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold records: To treat attacks of madness with unpredictable symptoms—disheveled hair, shouting loudly, wanting to harm others, and showing no fear of water or fire—make bitter sophora into honey pills the size of a tung tree seed. Take ten pills at a time with a mint decoction.

The Mei Master’s Formulas records: To treat poisoning from food, such as fish, meat, or vegetables, take three liang of bitter sophora…

Use one sheng of sour wine (vinegar). Boil it down through five rises, then strain out the dregs. Drink it and induce vomiting; the illness will be cured. Alternatively, take one sheng of liquid made by boiling rhinoceros horn; this also works well.

Another prescription treats headache, high fever, and distressing pain in the chest that arise four or five days after contracting a cold: take five liang of Sophora root and twenty smoked plums, chop them, and boil them in two sheng of water until reduced to one sheng. Drink warm.

The Qianjin Fang treats epidemic febrile illness accompanied by delirious speech and agitation of the heart: take an unrestricted amount of Sophora root, dry-fry it until yellow, and grind it into powder. For each dose, take two qian and boil it in one cup of water until reduced to eight tenths. Drink warm. Take three doses in succession; the illness will be cured whether or not sweating occurs.

The Jiyan Fang treats swollen, painful feet caused by heat toxins, when the pain is nearly unbearable: boil Sophora root in wine and soak the affected area.

The Records of the Grand Historian says that Chunyu Yi once treated a senior physician of the state of Qi. The patient had “□ teeth.” Chunyu Yi applied moxibustion at the Large Intestine channel on the left hand and instructed him to rinse his mouth each day with three sheng of Sophora root decoction. After five or six days, the illness was cured. The Yanyi says that a court official had a heavy feeling in his lower back. After sitting for a long time, he needed to walk more than ten paces before he could move freely. An officer told him, “I see that you rub your teeth with medicine every day. The medicine’s qi damages the kidneys, which is why your lower back feels heavy.” Later, Shu Zhaoliang, a Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, rubbed his teeth with Sophora root for several years and developed back pain. After learning that Sophora root enters the teeth and its medicinal qi harms the kidneys, he stopped using it to rub his teeth, and his back ailment also cleared up. These cases are not recorded in the old formularies.

Someone developed fine, itchy and painful eruptions all over the body from wind-heat. They spread from the chest, neck, navel, and abdomen to the private parts. The person also had abundant phlegm and saliva and could not sleep at night. Take one liang of Sophora root powder and two liang of soap pod. Add one sheng of water, knead the mixture, and strain out the liquid. Simmer it in a silver or stone vessel until it forms a paste, then mix in Sophora root powder and make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. After meals, take twenty to thirty pills with warm water. The next day, the illness will be gone.

Chinese Angelica

Chinese angelica tastes sweet and pungent and is warm in nature. Its medicinal property is very warm, and it is non-toxic. It treats coughing with rebellious qi, the alternating chills and fever of malarial attacks, and ringworm of the skin. It is also used for uterine bleeding in women, infertility, various malignant sores, and knife wounds. Taken as a decoction, it warms the body and relieves pain. It can also treat internal blood stasis, wind-stroke with convulsions and no sweating, damp impediment, sudden illness caused by malign influences, and invasion by external pathogens with bodily coldness. It also nourishes the Five Viscera. The original text ends here unfinished.

Danggui, a Chinese medicinal herb also called Qian Gui, grows in the mountain valleys of Longxi. Its roots are dug up in the second and eighth months of the lunar calendar, then dried in the shade and stored. It should not be used with Lüru, and it is incompatible with Changpu, Haizao, and Mengmeng, all medicinal substances.

The Illustrated Classic says: Danggui grows in the mountain valleys of Longxi. Today it is also produced in various prefectures of Sichuan and Shaanxi, as well as in Jiangning and Chuzhou; the Sichuan variety is considered best. Green leaves appear in spring, divided into three parts. It flowers in the seventh and eighth months, with pale purple blossoms shaped like Shiluo. The roots are blackish yellow. They are usually dug up in the second and eighth months and dried in the shade.

Danggui has two types of shoots, both resembling Chuanqiong, a Chinese medicinal herb; they differ in the size of their leaves. Its stems are shorter than those of Chuanqiong, and its roots also fall into two types. The one with larger leaves is called “horsetail danggui,” while the one with finer leaves is called “silkworm-head danggui.” Roots that are thick and fleshy, rather than dried out, are considered best.

The Treatise on the Nature of Drugs says: In a prescription, Danggui serves as a ministerial ingredient. It should not be taken with hot noodles. It can stop retching and treat alternating chills and fever caused by debility. It dispels accumulated stagnant blood and is used to treat profuse uterine bleeding and other bleeding in women. It is also used for coldness in the intestines and stomach, bodily weakness and deficiency, dysentery, and abdominal pain. Taken as a decoction by itself, it can treat warm malaria, a feverish form of malaria. It is also used for bleeding in women, lower back pain, and severe toothache. Danggui may be added for people with constitutional coldness and deficiency.

Tao Hongjing says: The Danggui produced around Daoyang and Heishui in Longxi has fleshy roots and few branches, and a fragrant aroma. It is called “horsetail danggui” and is difficult to obtain. The Danggui produced in northern western Sichuan has many fine root branches. The variety from Liyang is pale in color and faint in aroma, unlike the superior Danggui; it is called “grass danggui.” It is sometimes used when the genuine variety is scarce. When formula physicians speak of “true Danggui,” they mean these distinctions in quality. Danggui is commonly used among the people, and is sometimes needed in Daoist methods as well.

The Tang Materia Medica says: Danggui has two kinds of shoots: one resembles large-leaf Chuanqiong, the other fine-leaf Chuanqiong. However, both the stems and leaves of Danggui are shorter than those of Chuanqiong. The best varieties today come from Dangzhou, Yanzhou, Yizhou, Songzhou, and Dangzhou. The fine-leaf variety is called “silkworm-head danggui,” and the large-leaf variety “horsetail danggui.” Most people now use horsetail danggui; silkworm-head danggui is inferior and is no longer used. The Danggui from Liyang mentioned by Tao Hongjing is silkworm-head danggui.

The Daily Record of the Brilliant says: Danggui treats various wind disorders, blood disorders, and wasting conditions. It dispels stagnant blood and nourishes new blood, and is also used for abdominal masses and related disorders.

Lei Gong says: Before using Danggui, remove the dust and the hard, pointed part at the top of the root, then soak it in wine overnight. To dispel stagnant blood, use the firm first section of the root head.

If the aim is to relieve pain and stop bleeding, use the tail of danggui. It is especially suitable when a rapid effect is needed, and is very effective even on its own.

Yuxi says: According to the Erya, “Xueshan qi” … The Guangya explains that mountain qi is danggui. Danggui today looks like qi, but is much larger in shape.

The Wu lineage says: Shennong, Huangdi, Tongjun, and Bian Que considered danggui sweet in flavor and non-toxic; Qibo and Leigong considered it pungent and non-toxic; and Ji believed it to be slightly warm in nature. It sometimes grows in the regions of the Qiang and Hu peoples.

The Bieshuo says: On careful examination, danggui has been used in physicians’ prescriptions and discussions since ancient times to treat the upward surging of stagnant blood after childbirth. In an emergency, no medicine takes effect faster. Those whose Qi and blood are disordered can become settled after taking it. This is probably because danggui helps Qi and blood return to their proper places. It can therefore be used in emergencies after childbirth and can quickly replenish what has been depleted. Perhaps this is why the sages of old named it “danggui,” meaning “should return.”

The Waitai Miyao says: To treat a splitting headache, take two liang of danggui with one sheng of wine. Boil until six ge remain, then drink. If the pain has not eased, take another dose.

Another prescription: To treat heart pain, grind danggui into powder and take it with wine, using one square-inch spoonful, an ancient small measuring spoon for medicine.

The Zhouhou Fang says: Children often suffer from fetal cold and cry without stopping day and night, which may lead to epilepsy. Take danggui powder, about the size of a small bean, mix it with milk, and give it three or four times each night.

The Ge Shi Fang says: To treat blood in the urine, take four liang of danggui, finely slice it, and add three sheng of wine. Boil until one sheng remains, then drink it all at once.

The Mei Shi Fang says: For fetal movement accompanied by bleeding and pain in the heart and abdomen, when the situation is critical, take this decoction. If recovery is possible, the condition will settle; if the fetus has died, it will be expelled. Take four liang of danggui and nine liang of chuanxiong, finely slice them, add three sheng of wine and four sheng of water, and boil until three sheng remain. Take in divided doses.

The Zimu Milu says: To treat a fetus presenting in a breech position or dead in the womb, pound danggui into powder and take it with wine, using one square-inch spoonful.

A prescription from Imperial Physician Zhi: For various women’s disorders and general weakness or deficiency, take four liang of danggui and two liang of dihuang. Grind them into powder, mix with honey, and form pills the size of Chinese parasol seeds. Take fifteen pills before meals with rice water.

Mahuang

Mahuang is bitter in flavor, warm or slightly warm in nature, and non-toxic. It treats wind-stroke, headache due to cold damage, and warm malaria. It induces sweating and dispels pathogenic heat; stops coughing, rebellious Qi, and labored breathing; and resolves alternating chills and fever. It also disperses hard masses and accumulations, expels pathogenic influences from the five organs, eases flank pain caused by wind, and relieves lingering disorders associated with pregnancy and breastfeeding. It reduces salivation and opens the interstices between the skin and muscles. It can also ease headache due to cold damage and release pathogenic influences from the body’s exterior.

It can disperse red and dark spots and toxic influences, but should not be taken in large amounts, or it may weaken the body. It is also known as Beixiang, Longsha, and Beiyan. It grows in Jin and Hedong and is gathered around the Start of Autumn. Its stems should be dried in the shade and kept green. Magnolia bark serves as its assistant herb; it is incompatible with magnolia flower and Pyrrosia.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Ephedra grows in Jin and Hedong. Today it is also plentiful near the capital, with the best coming from Xingyang and Zhongmou. Ephedra sprouts in spring and can grow to over a foot by the fifth month. Yellow flowers bloom at the tips of its branches, and its fruit resembles miniature lily petals or seeds of the Chinese honey locust. The fruit tastes sweet, with a faint ephedra aroma. Its skin is red, its seeds black, and its roots purplish red. Folk accounts say there are female and male ephedra plants: the female flowers in the third or fourth month and bears fruit in the sixth; the male neither flowers nor bears fruit. After the Start of Autumn, gather the stems and dry them in the shade, keeping them green.

The Ephedra Decoction, Major Blue Dragon Decoction, and Minor Blue Dragon Decoction used by Zhang Zhongjing to treat cold damage all contain ephedra. The Belamcanda-Ephedra Decoction and Magnolia Bark-Ephedra Decoction, used to treat lung atrophy and wheezing, are also formulas with many ingredients. In ancient formulas for decocting Ephedra Decoction, ephedra was boiled first and the froth skimmed off before the other herbs were added. This method was not used when making pills or powders.

Tao Hongjing says: Ephedra from Qingzhou, Pengcheng, Xingyang, and Zhongmou is best today; it is green in color and produces abundant froth. Ephedra also grows in Shu, but it is poor in quality and should not be used. Breaking the stem joints can stop sweating. When decocting it, boil it for one or two rounds first and skim off the froth on the surface; the froth can cause agitation and discomfort. Ephedra root can also stop sweating. In summer, some people use ephedra root mixed with powder. Folk practice commonly uses ephedra to treat cold damage and induce sweating to release the exterior, regarding it as the preferred medicinal.

The Tang Materia Medica says: Ephedra is abundant at Lutai in Zhengzhou, in the Shayuan area of Guanzhong, and on sandy riverbanks. Ephedra from Qingzhou and Xuzhou is no longer used today; the greatest quantity comes from the Shayuan area of Tongzhou.

Rihua says: Ephedra can open the nine orifices, regulate the blood vessels, open the pores and skin, dispel Wind, disperse accumulations and abdominal masses, drive out pathogenic influences from the five organs, reduce fever, and ward off miasma from mountain mists.

Lei Gong says: When using ephedra, remove the stem joints and froth. If they are not completely removed, the chest may feel tight and agitated. Use shears to cut away the stem joints and tips, then finely chop it with a copper knife on a locust-wood chopping board. Boil it for thirty or forty rounds, skim off the froth with a bamboo sliver, remove the herb, and dry it in the sun before use.

Yuxi says: According to the Treatise on the Properties of Medicines, ephedra is a chief herb, sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, and can treat… The original text ends here unfinished.

It is used to treat toxic wind in the body, numbness and painful obstruction, and loss of sensation in the skin and flesh. It can also reduce high fever, release the exterior, induce sweating, and treat warm malaria and warm epidemics. The root and nodes stop sweating. One formula says to pound Ephedra with an old bamboo fan into a fine powder and dust it over the body. Another calls for equal parts oyster shell powder, millet flour, and Ephedra root, ground into powder and placed in a bag of raw silk. For night sweats—sweating after falling asleep—dust the powder over the body and rub it in with the hand.

The Essentials of Cold Damage, citing Treatise on Cold Damage, says that jaundice can be treated with the “Ephedra Decoction in Pure Wine.” Take a handful of Ephedra, remove the nodes, wrap it in cotton cloth, and add five sheng of fine wine. Boil until half a sheng remains, strain out the herbs, and drink the entire dose at once.

The Secret Records of the Mother and Child says that for abdominal pain after childbirth and lochia that does not fully discharge, pound Ephedra with the nodes removed into powder and take one square-inch spoonful with wine. Take it two or three times a day, stopping once the lochia has fully discharged. Taking a decoction of Chinese motherwort is also very effective.

The Extended Materia Medica says that Ephedra from Zhengzhou is of good quality. Cut off the nodes, take half a liang, and briefly stir-fry it with a spoonful of honey. Add half a sheng of water and boil. When the water boils, skim off the foam, then continue boiling until the liquid has reduced by about one third. Strain out the herbs and drink. If someone has sores or pustules that have sunk inward and turned black, give them the entire dose while it is hot, then keep them out of the wind and wait quietly until the sores or pustules emerge again. Another method is to boil the herbs in wine without added ash; however, this is harder for children to take because they cannot drink wine. This method does work more quickly. From this, we can see that Ephedra directs the medicine’s effects to the body’s exterior.

Tetrapanax Pith

Tetrapanax pith is pungent and sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats harmful insects and disorders of cold and heat in the Spleen and Stomach. It opens the nine orifices, blood vessels, and joints, and helps prevent forgetfulness. It also treats Spleen jaundice—a type of jaundice associated with Spleen disorders, often accompanied by sleepiness—as well as vexation, hiccups, and abnormalities of the voice. It is used for deafness, abscesses and swellings, and various lumps that fail to disperse; for metal-inflicted wounds, malignant sores, mouse fistulas (lumps resembling scrofula), injuries from falls and sprains, nasal congestion, and nasal polyps. It is also recorded as having abortifacient and worm-expelling effects. Tetrapanax pith is also called fuzhi and dingweng. It grows in the valleys of Shicheng Mountain and around Shanyang. Gather the branches in the first month and dry them in the shade.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says that Tetrapanax pith grows in the valleys of Shicheng Mountain and around Shanyang. Today it is also found in the prefectures of Zezhou and Luzhou, in Hanzhong, and throughout the Jianghuai and Hunan regions. It grows as a vine, about as thick as a finger; the thicker stems can reach three cun in diameter. Two or three branches grow from each node, and each branch tip bears five leaves shaped much like Pyrrosia leaves. People now call it “mutong” (woody passage); the plant commonly known as “tongcao” is actually Tetrapanax papyrifer.

Tao Hongjing says that the Tetrapanax pith produced in nearby regions winds around trees as it grows and is a climbing plant. Its sap is white, and fine holes run through its stem, forming passages open at both ends. If you put one end to your lips and blow, air comes out of the other end.

…A better-quality specimen is preferable. Some say this is the stem of the fú vine.

Chen Cangqi says: Tongtuomu (the plant) is non-toxic. The powder from its flowers can be used to treat various sores caused by parasites. When a pheasant is ill, the powder can be placed in the wound. Tongtuomu grows on hillsides. Its leaves resemble castor-oil plant leaves, and its stem contains a white, light, soft pith that is very pleasing. Women often use it to decorate objects. The Erya says, “‘Linán’ is ‘huotuo.’” Another book says it is a medicinal herb that grows south of the Yangtze and treats parasitic diseases. Among people today it is also called tongcao.

Another account lists several further uses of tongcao: its fruit is sweet and promotes urination and bowel movements, relieving vexing heat. Eating it lifts the spirits, quenches thirst, and directs Qi downward. People in Jiangdong call it “chufuzi,” while those in Jiangxi call it “nazi.” The fruit resembles a tally pouch; its flesh is yellow and its seeds are black. Remove the outer skin before eating it. Su Song says that the white-colored kind is called “houfu.”

The Rihuazi says: Mutong (here, the medicinal plant mutong) calms the spirit, relieves vexation, quenches thirst, and reduces fever. It treats forgetfulness, clears the ears and eyes, treats nasal polyps, promotes the flow of the small intestine and urination, disperses accumulations and blood clots, drains pus, treats sores and boils, relieves pain, induces labor, and helps expel the placenta. It is also used for women’s absent or irregular menstruation, seasonal epidemics, headache and dizziness, physical weakness, and stagnant breast milk; it can also promote lactation. Its fruit is called “yizi” and is harvested in the seventh or eighth month.

Yuxi says: According to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals, mutong is a ministerial herb. It is slightly cold in nature and is also called “Wangweng Wannian.” It treats the five types of painful, difficult urination, promotes urination, opens blockages that obstruct the passage of urine and stool, and is also used for drowsiness, edema, and vexing heat. Its root treats tumorous swellings below the neck.

Chen Shiliang says: Yanzi is cold in nature and non-toxic. It treats heat obstructing the stomach, regurgitation, and difficulty swallowing food, and clears stagnant heat in the Three Burners—that is, the upper, middle, and lower regions of the body in Chinese medicine. The fruit is called “fushanzi,” and the stem is called mutong. Mutong is used to regulate wind-heat and painful, difficult urination, as well as frequent, urgent, painful urination and distension and weakness in the lower abdomen. It is suitable for taking as a decoction or eating with scallions; this is said to be effective.

The Haiyao records: According to Xu Biao’s Nanzhou ji, this medicinal plant grows in the mountain valleys of Guangzhou. Its flavor is warm and its nature is balanced. It treats various fistulous sores, throat pain, and houbi—throat swelling that obstructs swallowing. It can be taken as a decoction or ground into medicine; when the condition is urgent, it can be held in the mouth.

The Shiliao says: Boiling it in water and drinking the liquid promotes the circulation of Qi and blood in women. If it is simmered to a concentrated decoction and three to five cups are drunk in succession, it will promote flow. It can also be used for impeded circulation of cold and hot influences, mouse fistulas (fistulous lesions associated with scrofula), metal wounds, and sprains and fractures. The juice from the decoction can also be used to brew wine.

Peony

Peony tastes bitter and sour. It is balanced in nature and slightly cold, and is mildly toxic. It mainly treats abdominal pain caused by pathogenic influences and can also dispel…

Peony can treat poor blood circulation, numbness, and hard masses. It can ease pain caused by alternating chills and fever, hernia, and abdominal masses; help with urination; and strengthen Qi (vital energy). It also harmonizes the blood vessels, soothes the chest and abdomen, disperses harmful and stagnant blood, reduces swelling, promotes the flow of urine and bowel movements, and treats abscesses, chills and fever during epidemics, sudden illness attributed to an attack by malign influences, abdominal pain, and lower back pain.

Peony is also known as baizhu, yurong, lishi, jiecang, and ting. It grows in valleys and hills around Mount Song, the Central Mountain, and is also found elsewhere. The roots are gathered in the second and eighth months and dried in the sun. Xuwan can serve as its assistant in a prescription. According to Yuxi and others, another version reads “lewan.” Peony is incompatible with dendrobium and mirabilite; is counteracted by saltpeter, soft-shelled turtle shell, and field thistle; and is opposed by Veratrum. These are traditional herbal classifications of medicinal compatibility.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Peony grows in the valleys and hills around Mount Song, the Central Mountain. Today it is found in many places, and the variety from Huainan is considered best. In spring, red shoots emerge and grow in clumps. Each stem has three branches, each bearing five leaves. The leaves resemble those of tree peony but are narrower and longer. The plant grows one or two feet tall and blooms in summer, with flowers in red, white, purple, and other colors. Its fruit resembles tree peony seed but is smaller. The roots are gathered in autumn and are either red or white.

Cui Bao’s Notes on Ancient and Modern Matters says that there are two kinds of peony: herbaceous peony and tree peony. Tree peony has large, richly colored flowers and is commonly called mudan. This account, however, is not accurate.

The Zhengyuan Guangli Formula records: For women with persistent red or white vaginal discharge that has not improved after a long illness, take three large liang of white peony and half a large liang of dried ginger. Chop them and stir-fry until yellow, then grind and sift. Take seven fen on an empty stomach, mixed into a drink.

The Treatise on the Properties of Medicinals says: Peony treats pathogenic influences in the lungs, acute abdominal pain, and accumulations of Qi and blood. It disperses stagnant Qi in the organs and bowels, and treats pain and corrupted blood caused by malign influences. It is also used for epidemic illness and bone fever; strengthens the functions of the five viscera; replenishes Kidney Qi; treats hard, distended fullness in the abdomen and cessation of menstruation in women; and disperses stagnant blood and expels pus.

Tao Hongjing says: The peonies from Baishan and Jiangmaoshan are best, with white, thick, long roots. Peonies from other places are also found, but are mostly red and have smaller roots. People believe they can stop pain, and that their effect is no less than that of Chinese angelica. Daoist practitioners also take peony and use it when “cooking stones.”

Another commentary says: There are two kinds of peony. Red peony promotes urination and lowers Qi; white peony stops pain and disperses blood. The flowers, too, come in red and white.

The Rihuazi Materia Medica says: Peony treats wind disorders and replenishes deficiency and exhaustion. It treats women’s various ailments and illnesses before and after childbirth, promotes menstruation, reduces fever, relieves vexation, and strengthens Qi.

Lei Gong says: After harvesting, first dry the roots in the sun. Use a bamboo knife to scrape away the rough outer skin and the soil on the root crowns, then slice them. Mix the slices evenly with honey water and steam them from the hour of the Snake until the hour of the Goat. Finally, dry them in the sun and store for later use.

Yuxi says: According to Wu’s account, Shennong considered peony bitter in taste; Tong Jun considered it sweet and nontoxic; Qibo considered it salty; Ji considered it slightly cold in nature; and Lei Gong considered it sour.

The Separate Commentary says: Today, peonies are produced in abundance around Huainan and Zhenyang. Drug merchants look only at how large and fleshy the roots are, without realizing that their fragrance and flavor are both poor. One therefore cannot expect them to have good medicinal effects. On examining the matter, the best peonies are still those that grow in valleys and hillsides, as stated in the Basic Scripture.

The Experiences from Later Prescriptions records a method for treating wind-toxin that has invaded the bone marrow and caused bone pain: take two parts peony and one liang of tiger bone, roast the bone and grind it to powder, then place both in a double-layered silk bag and soak it in three sheng of wine for five days. Take two he each time, three times a day.

The Comprehensive Aid Prescriptions records a method for treating the five kinds of strangury, conditions marked by difficult and dribbling urination: take one liang of red peony and one betel nut. Wrap them in dough, roast until cooked, and grind to powder. Each time, take one qian-spoonful, add one cup of water, and boil until seven-tenths remains. Take on an empty stomach.

The Guangli Prescriptions records a method for treating persistent bleeding and pain from metal wounds, injuries caused by swords, knives, or other sharp metal implements: take one liang of white peony and fry until yellow, then pound to a fine powder. Take two qian with wine or rice water. After the first three doses, the amount may be increased gradually.

Chu Yushi records a method for treating coughing up blood and nosebleeds: take one liang of white peony and one fen of powdered rhinoceros horn, grind them to powder, and take with freshly drawn water. Take one qian each time, continuing until the bleeding stops.

The Yan Yi says: The medicinal part of peony is its root, and there are many varieties. Choose the kind with red, single-petaled flowers that grows in the mountains. When the flowers and leaves grow luxuriantly, the roots are often hollow. Peony roots are mostly reddish and have an astringent, bitter taste. Some are pale in color, thick, and fleshy; these are of better quality. In other respects, it is as described in the classic text. People with blood deficiency and a cold constitution should avoid taking peony; this warning was already given by the ancients. Some people reduce the dose of peony to keep its medicinal nature from chilling the middle burner. This is indeed something that should not be overlooked.

The seeds of the iris-like plant Ma Lan, known as Lishi, taste sweet and are neutral to slightly warm in nature; they are nontoxic. They treat sudden alternating sensations of cold and heat in the skin, heat in the stomach, and painful impediment caused by wind, cold, and dampness. They strengthen the sinews and bones, improve appetite, ease vexation and distention in the chest, promote urination and bowel movements, and make the flesh fuller. Taken over a long period, they can make the body feel light and strong. The flowers and leaves can expel white worms and treat throat impediment, including sore or obstructed throats. Taking too much may cause loose stools. The plant is also called Lishi, Jucao, Sanjian, and Shishou. It grows in the valleys of Hedong. Harvest the seeds in the fifth month and dry them in the shade.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Lishi is the seed of Ma Lan. Because of a change in pronunciation, people in the north call it “Jian…”.

The plant called zi—the original text does not give its specific name—grows in the valleys of Hedong. It is now also found in the prefectures of Shaanxi, as well as Dingzhou and Lizhou, and is especially abundant near the capital. Its leaves resemble those of xie (a kind of onion), but are longer and thicker. In the third month it flowers in a purplish blue; in the fifth month it bears pods, whose red, ridged seeds are about the size of hemp seeds. Its roots are slender and deep yellow, and people use them to make brushes. Gather the flowers in the third month and the seeds in the fifth month; dry them together in the shade before use.

Cui Yuanliang’s treatment for throat obstruction, with swelling and pain in the throat and difficulty breathing or swallowing: Take twelve parts in all of li flowers, li bark, and li roots. Boil them in one sheng of water until only six ge remain. Strain out the herbs, hold the liquid in the mouth, then swallow it little by little. The symptoms should improve or stop.

Tao Yinju says: This medicine is no longer used in prescriptions, and few people among the common folk recognize it. Its original name is “Jing”; it is also called “Shishou.”

The Rihuazi says: Malan can treat women’s disorders caused by stagnant Blood and Qi, postpartum fainting from blood loss, persistent bleeding from the channels, uterine flooding and spotting, and vaginal discharge. It can also reduce sores, boils, and swellings; stop nosebleeds and vomiting of blood; promote the flow of the small intestine; counteract alcohol toxicity; and treat jaundice. Applied externally, it treats snake and insect bites and can counter mushroom poisoning. It may also be eaten as a vegetable, using both its stems and leaves.

The Waitai Miyao records: To treat severe throat obstruction when the patient is near death, pound a handful of lishi roots, squeeze out the juice with water, and have the patient swallow it slowly. If the mouth is clenched shut, pour the medicine into it.

The Qianjin Fang records: To treat bleeding after poisoning by gu—an illness said to result from accidentally ingesting gu poison—with clots resembling chicken liver, when the other four viscera have been damaged but the heart remains unharmed, or when the nose is bleeding and death seems imminent: Grind malan root into powder and take one fangcun bi (an ancient measure using a square medicine spoon) with water. If the patient vomits after taking it, the gu poison will be expelled. The remedy is exceptionally effective. The plant’s shoots resemble kudzu vines and are greenish purple; its fruit resembles an orange.

The Yanyi says: Regarding lishi, Tao Yinju said it was no longer used in prescriptions and that few people among the common folk recognized it. The descriptions in the Classic of Materia Medica and in the commentaries by various authors do not match one another. If lishi really is malan, the Rihuazi should not have separately stated that it can also be eaten as a vegetable. Neither horses nor cattle eat malan leaves; they are already very tough as soon as they emerge from the soil, and they have no taste. How, then, could people eat them? For this reason, we cannot at present identify lishi with malan seeds with certainty; further examination by learned scholars is needed.

Qumai (a medicinal herb)

Qumai is bitter and pungent, cold in nature, and nontoxic. It treats obstruction and counterflow, including inability to urinate and other conditions in which urination is blocked or scanty. It can expel objects lodged by puncture wounds, disperse abscesses and swellings, brighten the eyes and remove visual obstructions; it can also terminate pregnancy and bring down the fetus, expel stagnant blood that is blocked, nourish Kidney Qi, drive out pathogenic influences from the Bladder, stop cholera, and promote hair growth. It is also called Jujumai, Daju, and Dalan. It grows in the valleys around Mount Tai. In the seventh month…

After harvesting, dry it in the shade. Cattail grass and peony can serve as companion medicines for Qumai; Qumai is incompatible with mantis egg cases and should not be used together with them.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Qumai grows in the valleys of Mount Tai and is now found throughout the regions. The plant is about one chi tall, with slender, pointed green leaves. Its roots are purplish black and resemble small turnips. The flowers are reddish purple, like wild mountain blossoms. It flowers from the second to the fifth lunar month and bears fruit in the seventh. Its fruiting spikes look rather like wheat, which is why it is called Qumai. After the Beginning of Autumn, when the fruit ripens, harvest the plant with its stems and leaves and dry it in the shade for later use. Prescriptions from both ancient and modern times often use it, considering it an important medicine that enters the Heart channel and promotes the passage of urine through the Small Intestine. Zhang Zhongjing’s Gualou Qumai Pill, used to treat difficulty urinating and retained fluid, includes Qumai.

Tao Hongjing says: Qumai can now be gathered nearby. A single stem bears slender leaves and lovely reddish purple flowers. It should be cut when the fruit and leaves are mature. The fruit looks much like wheat, which is how it got its name. There are two kinds of Qumai: one is more robust, with forked edges on its flowers; the other is smaller. There is also a kind with broader, downy leaves that flowers later and is very red. According to the old books, it is the fruit that is harvested. The seeds inside are very small and fall out easily once they are ripe and dry. In today’s medicinal markets, however, only the stems and leaves are used, and the fruits are often left as empty husks without seeds.

Rihua says: Qumai can hasten childbirth. It is also called Dumu grass, Yanmian, and Yuemai. Another plant, Shizhu, can be used for hemorrhoids, fistulas, and bloody stools. It may also be boiled into a soup or porridge and eaten, which can help.

Lei Gong says: When using Qumai, take only the stamens and fruit husks; do not use the flowers or leaves. If taken together, an empty-stomach dose may cause Qi to rise counterflow, discomfort in the throat, and possibly loss of bladder control. Before use, soak it in Jinzhu bamboo liquid for a full day, then remove it and dry it in the sun.

The Essential Secrets from Beyond the Great Wall records: If a fish bone is stuck in the throat, grind Qumai into powder, mix it with water, and take one square-inch spoonful, an ancient unit of medicinal dosage.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula records: If a woman has been in labor for several days without giving birth, or the fetus has died in the womb and the mother is in danger, boil Qumai into a concentrated decoction and have her drink it.

The Master Mei’s Formula records: If a bamboo splinter or wooden splinter is embedded in the flesh and cannot be removed, grind Qumai into powder and swallow one square-inch spoonful with water. Alternatively, boil Qumai into a drink and take it three times a day. The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula gives the same account.

The Cui Family Formula records: For a fish-navel sore, a type of toxic swelling, burn Qumai to ash, mix it with oil, and apply it to the swollen area. It is very effective.

The Extended Meaning says: Qumai is used in the Eight Policies Powder. People today consider it an important medicine. But if Heart Fire is strong while the Small Intestine is weak, taking Qumai will cause the Heart…

The feverish heat had not yet subsided, but a separate illness had arisen in the small intestine. The reasoning is straightforward: the Heart and small intestine communicate with and correspond to one another, so medicines that enter the small intestine channel are used. According to the scripture, Qumai does not treat heat in the Heart. If there is no pronounced pathogenic heat in the Heart, treatment should focus on the Heart itself. If the Heart heat cannot be fully dispelled at once, one should treat the organ that corresponds to the Heart, so that the heat can diminish. This is the reasoning behind using Bazheng San, a formula that clears heat and promotes urination.

Scrophularia Root

Scrophularia root is bitter and salty in flavor, slightly cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats alternating cold and heat in the abdomen, accumulations, and lingering ailments after childbirth. It can replenish Kidney Qi and brighten the eyes. It also treats sudden stroke, fever due to Cold Damage, distention and fullness in the chest and abdomen, and disturbances of consciousness caused by pathogenic influences, including confusion and disorientation. It may also be used for intermittent fever accompanied by chills and shivering, blood masses—lumps in the abdomen formed by stagnant blood—and coldness in the lower body. It clears Qi stagnation in the chest, promotes urination, and relieves restlessness and thirst. It disperses nodules and carbuncles in the neck, treats pain and hard masses in the chest and abdomen, and steadies the functions of the five viscera. Taken over a long period, it can replenish deficiency, brighten the eyes, strengthen Kidney Yin, and increase Jing.

Scrophularia root is also known as Chongtai, Xuantai, Luchang, Zhengma, and Xian. It grows in the areas of Hejian, river valleys, and Yuanju. The roots are gathered in the third or fourth month and dried in the sun. Scrophularia root should not be used with Astragalus root, dried ginger, jujube, or Cornus fruit. It is incompatible with Veratrum root, and the two should not be combined.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Scrophularia root grows in the areas of Hejian and Yuanju and is now found in many regions. Its shoots emerge in the second month. The leaves resemble sesame leaves, or those of the pagoda tree or willow. The stem is slender and bluish purple. It flowers in the seventh month, with blue-green blossoms, and bears black seeds in the eighth month. There is also a variety with white flowers. Its stem is square, thick, and reddish purple, with fine hairs and nodes; it resembles bamboo and grows five or six chi tall. Its leaves are as large as a hand, pointed and elongated, with serrated edges. The root is pointed and long, bluish white when fresh and purplish black when dry; fresh roots are thick and juicy. A single plant may produce five to seven roots. They are generally dug up in the third, eighth, or ninth month and dried in the sun. Some say they should be steamed before drying.

Tao Hongjing says: Scrophularia root is now found in many nearby regions. Its stem resembles that of ginseng, but is longer and thicker. The root is very dark and slightly fragrant. Daoists sometimes use it in incense blends.

The Tang Materia Medica says: Both the root and shoots of Scrophularia root have an unpleasant odor, and its stem does not resemble ginseng. Tao Hongjing says it can be used in incense blends, but gives no explanation for this.

The Rihuazi Materia Medica says: Scrophularia root can treat wind disorders of the head, toxic heat, and wandering wind. It can also replenish deficiency and debility, treat palpitations and fright in the Heart and spirit, restlessness, fatigue, steaming bone syndrome, corpse-transmission disease, pathogenic influences, and forgetfulness, and reduce toxic swellings.

Lei Gong says: After gathering Scrophularia root, separate it layer by layer with leaves of the cattail plant… The original text ends here.

Steam it twice. Remove it and dry it in the sun. When using it, do not let it come into contact with copper vessels.

If it blocks the throat after ingestion, it can damage the eyes. Therefore, carefully remove all the rush grass before using it.

Li Yuxi says: According to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals, Xuanshen can serve as an assisting medicinal. It is also called “Zhima” and tastes bitter. It can treat sudden episodes of heat constraint, and is used for headaches caused by heat-wind, relapse after a cold damage illness, and conditions such as tumors, goiters, and scrofula.

The Experiential Formulas records a method of burning incense for people suffering from consumptive disease: Take one jin of Xuanshen and six liang of Gansong, and grind them into powder. Mix in one jin of refined honey, place the mixture in a porcelain jar, seal it, and bury it in the earth to mature for ten days. Take it out, add six liang of ash powder and six liang of refined honey, mix well, place it in a jar and seal it, then bury it to mature for five days. Take it out and burn it, so that the fragrance is continually inhaled through the nose. The original text says that this will cure the disease.

The Guangli Formulas records: For scrofula that has not healed for many years, crush fresh Xuanshen and apply it to the affected area, replacing it twice a day.

Qinjiao

Qinjiao (the character “jiao” is pronounced “jiao”) tastes bitter and pungent. It is neutral in nature, slightly warm, and non-toxic. It treats alternating chills and fever, pathogenic influences, wind impediment caused by cold and dampness, and pain in the limbs and joints. It also promotes urination and treats wind disorders, whether recent or longstanding.

Qinjiao grows in the valleys of Feiwu Mountain. Harvest the roots in the second and eighth months and dry them in the sun. Changpu can serve as its assisting medicinal—that is, a medicinal combined with it to support the principal remedy.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Qinjiao grows in the valleys of Feiwu Mountain, and is now widely produced in the regions around Hezhou and Shanzhou. The upper part of the root is yellow, with the roots crossing and winding around one another. They are about one chi long and vary in thickness. The stems and branches grow five or six cun high; the leaves spread out, and both the leaves and stalks are green, shaped like lettuce leaves. It flowers in the sixth month, with purple blossoms resembling those of kudzu, and bears seeds in the same month. The roots are usually gathered in spring and autumn and dried in the shade.

Tao Hongjing says: “Feiwu” may be a place name. The Qinjiao produced around Gansong, Longdong, and Canling has long, large roots that are yellowish-white and of good quality. The roots all have crossing, netlike ridges, and contain a great deal of soil. Before use, wash them, cut them open, and remove the soil. Physicians often mistakenly write “Qinjiao” as “Qinjiao,” but, like Duhuo, it is commonly used to treat wind disorders; Daoists need not call it by that name.

The Tang Materia Medica Commentary says: Qinjiao produced in Jingzhou, Fuzhou, and Qizhou is now considered the finest. This medicinal is sometimes written with the characters “zha,” “jiu,” or “jiao”; its correct name is “jiao.”

The Rihuazi says: Qinjiao tastes sweet and is cold in nature. It treats transmissible corpse disease and bone steaming, and can also treat childhood malnutrition and seasonal illnesses. Those with netlike ridges are best.

Lei Gong says: When using Qinjiao, identify its left and right sides by the ridges at the base of the root…

Qinjiao (Gentiana root, a Chinese medicinal herb)

To prepare Qinjiao, first wipe the surface with a cloth to remove the coarse yellow skin and hairs. Then soak it overnight in “Restorative Decoction,” a liquid used for soaking medicinal ingredients. Remove it the next day, dry it in the sun, and use it.

Yuxi says: The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals records that Qinjiao can dispel the accumulation of fats caused by eating grains and restore a person’s vitality and strength. It also helps the bowels and bladder to discharge, improves jaundice (a condition in which the skin and eyes turn yellow), dispels alcohol toxicity, and treats head-wind, a group of conditions involving pain in the head. Qinjiao should not be taken with cow’s milk.

Xiaobing says: In the Classic of the Materia Medica, Qinjiao is called “Qingua.” People commonly use it to treat alcohol jaundice and jaundice, with good results.

The Sagely Beneficence Formulary records: To treat restlessness of the mind, dry mouth, and thirst during cold damage, take one liang of Qinjiao, remove the shoots, and chop it. Add one large cup of cow’s milk and decoct until reduced to six-tenths. Strain out the herb and take the warm liquid in several doses, at any time.

Another prescription treats difficulty urinating and a stuffy, distended abdomen. If left untreated, this condition may become life-threatening. Take one liang of Qinjiao, remove the shoots, add one large cup of water, and decoct until reduced to seven-tenths. Strain out the herb and take the liquid in two doses before meals.

The prescription of Sun the Perfected treats jaundice: the skin and eyes are the color of red gold, and the urine is reddish. Take five liang of Qinjiao and three sheng of cow’s milk. Boil until reduced to one sheng, then strain out the herb and add one liang of mirabilite to the liquid before taking it.

Lily bulb (the bulb of a lily-family plant, commonly used in Chinese medicine)

Lily bulb is sweet in taste, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats abdominal distension and heart pain caused by pathogenic influences, promotes urination and bowel movements, and strengthens the center Qi. It may also be used for edema, abdominal distension and fullness, focal stuffiness—a blocked, uncomfortable feeling in the chest or abdomen—alternating chills and fever, pain throughout the body, failure of lactation, and throat impediment, meaning swelling, pain, or obstruction of the throat. It also stops a runny nose and watery eyes. Lily bulb is also called Chongxiang, Molo, Zhongfenghua, and Qiangqu. It grows in the mountain valleys of Jingzhou. Dig up the roots in the second or eighth month and dry them in the sun.

The Illustrated Classic says: Lily bulb grows in the mountain valleys of Jingzhou, and today it can also be found near settlements in many regions. In spring, shoots emerge and grow several feet tall, with stems as thick as arrow shafts. The leaves grow around the stem; they resemble chicken feet or willow leaves, are green, and are slightly purple near the stem. The top of the stem is pale jade in color. In the fourth or fifth month, it bears large white flowers shaped like a pomegranate’s open mouth. The root resembles a garlic bulb and consists of many overlapping scales. Dig it up in the second or eighth month and dry it in the sun. Lily bulb can also be steamed and eaten, and is very helpful for nourishing and strengthening the Qi.

Among Zhang Zhongjing’s prescriptions are Lily Bulb and Anemarrhena Decoction, Lily Bulb, Talc, and Hematite Decoction, Lily Bulb and Egg Yolk Decoction, and Lily Bulb and Rehmannia Decoction. There are four prescriptions in all. The conditions they treat are all called “lily bulb disease,” and lily bulb is used to treat them, but the meaning of the name “lily bulb disease” remains unclear.

Tao Hongjing says that lilies grow abundantly near roads. Their roots resemble those of garlic, made up of dozens of overlapping scales. People also eat them after steaming or boiling them. According to legend, lilies arose through the transformation of snakes and earthworms coiling around one another. Among the people they are commonly called “strong foes,” a mistaken pronunciation of the character qu. Lilies can also be taken as food for health.

A note in the Tang Materia Medica says that there are two kinds of lily. One has slender leaves and red-and-white flowers; the other has larger leaves, a longer stem, a thicker root, and white flowers. This latter kind is not used medicinally.

Rihuazi says that white lily calms the heart and steadies the gallbladder, strengthens resolve, and nourishes the Five Viscera. It can be used for mania, incessant weeping, wild shouting, palpitations, and similar conditions. It is also said to counteract gu poison and treat breast abscesses, sores on the back, and other swellings and sores. It is used as well for postpartum mania and dizziness caused by disordered Blood and Qi.

Yuxi says that, according to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicines, lily has slight toxicity when used as an auxiliary medicinal ingredient. It chiefly treats illnesses caused by malign spirits and ghosts, as well as incessant weeping. It can also ease tightness, distension, and pain below the heart, and treat beriberi, heat cough, and rebellious Qi.

The Food Therapy says that lily is mild in nature and can be used for distress and agitation in the heart. Steam it, mix it with honey, and eat it; taking it as a powder is especially good. Lilies with red flowers are called “mountain cinnabar” and should not be eaten.

The Sagely Beneficial Prescriptions records this treatment: for excessive heat in the lungs and vexation, take four liang of fresh lily, mix it with half a cup of honey, and steam until soft. Each time, hold an amount about the size of a date in the mouth and slowly swallow the juice.

Another prescription treats abdominal distension and pain during cold damage: take one liang of lily, dry-fry it until yellow, and pound it into a powder. Take two qian mixed with rice-water, at any time.

Sun the Perfected’s Food Taboos says that for yin-toxin cold damage, lily may be boiled to make a concentrated juice. Take one sheng for good effect.

The Golden Efficacy Prescriptions records this treatment: for deafness and ear pain, grind dried lily into a powder and take two qian mixed with warm water after meals.

The Extended Materia Medica says that Zhang Zhongjing used lily to treat “lily disease,” which appears after an illness of cold damage. Lily disease is the name of an illness in ancient medical texts. The lily’s stem is about three chi tall. Its leaves resemble large willow leaves, growing in clusters around the stem and extending upward along it. Pale yellowish-white flowers droop from the top of the stem; their centers have long stamens tinged with sandalwood brown. Each branch usually bears five or six flowers at its tip. The fruit is purple and round like a parasol-tree seed, growing among the branches and leaves. There is one fruit beside each leaf, rather than inside the flower—a distinctive feature. The lily’s roots are white and shaped like pine-nut shells, with scales clustering outward and a new shoot rising from the center.